IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
well worth the money - saw tons of animals on 3 day safari!
Robert was super accommodating and very helpful in giving me all the relevant details for the trip.. he wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly and even went out of his way to meet me before and after the trip to make sure everything went accordingly. He was interested in how to improve.
The safari was well worth the money considering the costs involved in organising park access, food, accommodation and transportation. I did the 3 day safari to Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara and saw tons of beautiful scenery and animals! It was in January so everything was lush and green. I had a great stay at Panorama campsite at Lake Manyara and met lots of other solo travellers there too! Would definitely recommend Robert and his team!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Totally exceeded my expectations
PaoWhat an unforgettable 4 days, totally exceeded my expectations.
From the beginning the organisation and communication via emails was thorough and every detail we requested was noted and not forgotten.
When the safari started, we got an amazing guide, Yusuph Omary. He made us feel very welcome and did everything to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves.
The quality of the food and accommodation was top notch.
We got to see lots of rarities including lions mating up close, 2 leopards and even spotted 2 rhinos which are extremely hard to find. Luck plays a part but also credit has to go to our guide. He worked really hard to find us those rare moments, and thanks to him I have so many great photos and videos.
Disorganised, disappointing, and expensive
Whilst this is a review of a Natural World Safari holiday in Sri Lanka that we went on and not Africa, we have posted it here to inform others considering holidaying with this company.
We do not recommend booking a holiday with this company. Their online literature gives the impression of a professional organisation offering a wonderful opportunity to swim with blue whales but once out in Sri Lanka the organisation was nothing short of shambolic.
We paid £14k (excluding flights, food, and beverage) to go on a Sri Lankan blue whale safari trip that was without doubt the most disorganised, disappointing, and most expensive holiday we have ever experienced. We had accepted that a proportion of the cost went towards conservation and research, but the holiday was so substandard in every way that we feel totally conned by this. Aside from the trip being a strong contender for the world's worst honeymoon, we were misled to believe that the Picture Adventure Expeditions operation that Natural World Safaris commissioned for this holiday, would have permits to swim with blue whales in the Northeast of Sri Lanka. This was what sold us the holiday. The literature sent to us from Natural World Safaris in both selling us the trip and again after we had paid the first instalment for it, boasted that they work with the top blue whale scientist in Sri Lanka: Asha De Vos. By coincidence, we met two acquaintances of Asha's on a later part of our holiday in Sri Lanka whilst in Wilpattu. They were surprised that Asha would be involved with an operator that allowed tourists to swim with whales and contacted her to verify this claim. It turns out Natural World Safaris were falsely using Asha De Vos' name and she publicly denied all association with Natural World Safaris (which we confirmed by contacting her directly ourselves).
When we contacted Natural World Safaris (at the end of the trip) asking for proof of the permits to swim with whales in the Northeast of Sri Lanka, we were informed that although they had been requested by Natural World Safari's "partner", they had not been confirmed because Natural World Safaris had failed to provide our passport details to them despite them having had them for over a year or contacting us to check whether they had changed.
During our holiday, the incompetence and recklessness of the employed boat captain was truly alarming. This “personally taught” (by Natural World Safaris) captain had no idea how to safely drive a power boat and the tour leader from Picture World Safaris did nothing to intervene despite the distress of his three clients. As a qualified yachtsman and RYA powerboat driver myself, I had to intervene several times to curb his ‘joy riding’ style of driving a speed boat in high waves and at beaching it too. Our accommodation at one point in the trip was little more than a hostel and of the quality that even the cockroaches were trying to move out. On top of this, our guide and operator of Picture Adventure Expeditions, Josh, seemed to be concentrating more on running his printing business back in India than ensuring his guests, who had each forked out £7k were kept safe and received reasonable value for the holiday they paid for.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised with great caring team that always puts customers comfort and safety first!
Soul of Tanzania team are a pleasure to work with.
For our Mt. Kilimanjaro hike, we got the best team. They took very good care of us and made sure we reached the peak.
Sam, especially, is a great leader and guide. He was with us every step of the way. He is the best guide we have come across in our travels.
For our Serenegti and Nrongoro safari, we got the most polite and knowledgable guide - Emmanuel. He did everything - driving, food, picnic spots, explaining landscapes and spotting animals. We got to see the big five!! Both the camps organised were really nice with warm an friendly staff.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda was an incredible experience too. we were taken care of right from the time we got off from the plane till we got back to the airport. Seeing those Gorillas was an experience of lifetime! Our driver Mbabazi was a kind and soft spoken person who was always punctual and taking care of us.
Overall an amazing and memorable trip!!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari Avventura …that’s a real adventure!
All wonderfully organised, the guide was super fluent in Italian, very professional and always with a smile. Parks are great, I will never forget ..I slept in a tent close to a lion. Organisation was top, the atmosphere amazing a trip I will keep in my heart forever. Thanks Aron and Safari Avventisti
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
My husband and I did a group safari with Suricata Safaris this December. We based ourselves on the very good reviews online and they really gave us a great safari experience. We did the 4 days and 3 nights, which was sufficient to see the great National Parks (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire). Mandela, our guide was very knowledgeable, he gave us very interesting information about the nature and animals. Our cook, Mousa was just unbelievable, he was a real magician, he made us delicious food in the middle of nowhere. We really looked forward to the meals. All the logistics were well organised, communication went fluent. We would highly recommend them for your Safari experience!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just wow!!!
Ok so, I have many things to say, but for short: it was just amazing
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended!!
If you are looking for a guide, King Solomon is your guy for Leopard spotting, Lion cub seeking, Black Rhino chasing, recent Cheetah kills and much more! The Ngorongoro Crater was my favourite part of our 4 day safari - it is just beautiful!! Solomon got us there early to just catch sight of a rare Black Rhino! He was good company and so knowledgeable about the Crater and Serengeti. Highly recommend!!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mule was incredible from the beginning to the end, very knowledgeable and personable.
This service was incredibly reliable. Our tour guide went out of his way to give us an unforgettable experience. Everything from the booking process, the drive to the safari, the safari itself, the lodge and the drive back was seamless and all our needs were addressed and taken care of. I would definitely recommend this service and tour guide to anyone who wants to have an incredible and unforgettable safari experience.
FI
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing nature
Tanzania is beautiful country with amazing nature. I had big luck, that I see almost all animals what I would like to see already on first day in Tarangire national park. Big thank you to Shiri Adventures for organizing my safari trip and especially to Ibra. His professionality, knowledge and perfect sight made my experience of Safari awesome.
In case you would attend several parks like me, let Serengeti as the last one. Any of other parks cannot bit comparable with Serengeti.
After Safari I went to Zanzibar to relax. Nungwi and Kendra beaches are most beautiful with incredible blue water.
Generally Tanzania is amazing, with tasty food and nice people, when you accepted fact that on most tourist places you will be chased to buy everything :)